I just completed my PGCE! Ask me anything.

Congratulations!

What are your plans now? Do you want to go back to the schools you trained at?

Hello and congrats! Did you do a PGCE on secondary or primary? I'm looking to do PGCE secondary, and I heard universities like to set school observation at a PRIMARY SCHOOL as a condition of offer. I'm confused as all unis seem to state on their websites that school observation is recommended but not a requirement, so why did they put it as a condition? I've done secondary observation, but as I'm not currently living in the UK, it will be difficult for me to come back just for primary observation. I want to know how strict are they with the primary observation thing, is it compulsory?

Hi there,

I completed my (Secondary) PGCE and attained QTS on Friday (woooop!).

This time last year I had SO many questions surrounding teacher training/PGCE routes, so if anyone would like to know anything please ask and I will do my best to offer any guidance!

H

Congrats.

Couple of Qs. How did you find the workload - especially during the placements? Did you finish at shortly after school finishes or were there hours of paperwork to complete?

Did you find the academic work useful?

Congratulations!

What subject are you going to teach in? How much and what sort of schools/teaching type experience did you have to get only the PGCE?

Hello! Thank youuu!

I undertook a secondary PGCE.

The answer to your question all depends on the university you're applying to. Each university will have a different set of entry requirements. My university did in fact require two days secondary and two days primary observation, however they themselves scrapped that requirement for starters this year in an attempt to encourage more applicants/reduce any barriers to applicants.

If the university you're applying to stipulates the primary observation as a requirement and you feel you won't be able to undertake primary observations, I recommend getting in touch with the course providers and simply expressing your interests and potential means of not meeting that requirement. See what they say! In the UK there's such a shortage of teachers I think there is a general consensus to be accepting and not deter people away for not meeting such a minimal requirement in all honesty.

Thank you!

The workload whilst at uni wasn't anything at all really. Yes, there were readings, but nothing in comparison to the volume you have to read at UG/taught Masters level. That being said, this is namely because the uni assignment deadlines always fell during placement.

The workload during placement is a lot, but this is highly influenced by your school/mentor/classes etc. Everyone on my PGCE feels their life has been put on hold this academic year simply because of the all-consuming workload. As a trainee on a PGCE you need to complete in-depth written plans, differentiation schemes and evaluations for every lesson (nightmare - praise that doesn't need to be done during NQT), but in terms of placement-related work there isn't really a lot of 'paperwork' so to speak, it's more so planning lessons, constructing schemes of work and lesson resources, marking etc.

During my first placement I would leave school around 4pm, get home around 5:30pm, take an hour out to shower, eat and unwind a little before planning lessons and other things until 9pm at night. For my own sanity, I would ensure I always had at LEAST half a weekend day to relax, but at least one weekend day would be full of uni assignment-related work/lesson adaptations/marking.

During my second placement, I would arrive to school at 7:00AM and leave at 16:00, to work at home until 19:00PM. This worked well for me as I concentrate better in a quite environment, but others in the department (non-trainees) would stay to varying times between 16:00 or 18:00. I undertook far more of a pastoral role in this second placement which meant I was literally 100% focused/doing important stuff literally 07:00-16:00 at school, meaning I had little time to conduct lesson planning or marking during the day. Again - this ties back to my point that it does depend on your school/mentor. You may be heading to a placement school that is changing curriculum and thus more work is needed to develop their units of work, or you may go to a school that is high in SEN/D pupils and require your attention towards differentiation.

have to admit that workload at your placements sounds a little alarming. How long does that sort of typical day go on for before it settles down I wonder? Although I don't consider myself a slacker by any measure in my previous jobs I've never considered myself 'busy' as in I would finish more or less on time and not have take-home work to do. It's going to be a culture change for sure.

Just going to butt in! I've just finished my PGCE secondary as well, and that level of work doesn't reflect my experience. So I think it's very dependent on your university/schools. I would arrive at school for 8am and get ready for the day, then I would usually leave at 3:30 if there wasn't any meetings/training. I would usually have a break until after dinner and then do some work for an hour or so. I would then do maybe half a day on the weekends? I would utilise all my time at school to do my work. I was only teaching maximum 60% of a timetable so you have plenty of school time!

The biggest workload is the fact that uni deadlines are always when you're in school. But I had three assignments over the whole year so it's not all the time. For each lesson, I had to prepare an in depth lesson plan highlighting differentiation, assessment for learning and what I and the pupils would be doing at all times. After, I would have to write a reflection on the lesson. Each week I had to do a larger weekly reflection, and have a mentor meeting where we discussed my progress etc.

Congrats on finishing your PGCE!

I've always been a nervous presenter (ironic considering i want to go into teaching i know) and just wanted to know how you felt teaching for the first time during your PGCE and how it went?

Thanks!

have to admit that workload at your placements sounds a little alarming. How long does that sort of typical day go on for before it settles down I wonder? Although I don't consider myself a slacker by any measure however in my previous jobs I've never considered myself 'busy' as in I would finish more or less on time and not have take-home work to do. It's going to be a culture change for sure.

Congratulations!
Did you do direct program or university path? May I asked where were you studying at? Would you recommend any university/program? I’m trying to apply for Sep2019 and I’m still not sure what to choose. How was your application process? Any advices on what to put most focus on? And how are kids at secondary ? Is it hard to keep the discipline?

Just going to butt in! I've just finished my PGCE secondary as well, and that level of work doesn't reflect my experience. So I think it's very dependent on your university/schools. I would arrive at school for 8am and get ready for the day, then I would usually leave at 3:30 if there wasn't any meetings/training. I would usually have a break until after dinner and then do some work for an hour or so. I would then do maybe half a day on the weekends? I would utilise all my time at school to do my work. I was only teaching maximum 60% of a timetable so you have plenty of school time!

The biggest workload is the fact that uni deadlines are always when you're in school. But I had three assignments over the whole year so it's not all the time. For each lesson, I had to prepare an in depth lesson plan highlighting differentiation, assessment for learning and what I and the pupils would be doing at all times. After, I would have to write a reflection on the lesson. Each week I had to do a larger weekly reflection, and have a mentor meeting where we discussed my progress etc.